“My brotherisn’tsubtle.”
“How about I ask Nolan? He’s the subtlest Freemont, after your mom.”
“I’d rather drink deer urine.”
She shook her head. “You’re so dramatic.”
“Please, Ads. Please don’t, or I’m really skipping town.”
“Fine, I won’t say anything.” She stared so deeply into her drink that my stomach filled with ice.
“Please tell me you didn’t already say something.”
“I swear I didn’t.”
“You swear?”
She crossed her heart.
I heaved a deep sigh, then filled Adalyn in on the halfwolf situation and my brilliant idea. After our shared appetizer was cleared, and the bartender deposited fresh screwdrivers in front of us, Adalyn’s forehead pleated.
“Okay, don’t kill me.”
“Why would I kill you?” I was feeling so blissfully mellow that I no longer questioned the presence of vodka in my drink.
“Well, um, I sort of told Nash we were here in case he wanted to meet us for a drink.”
“Three’s a crowd, but I like my brother, so you’re all good.”
I looked over my shoulder, tracking Adalyn’s gaze. When I saw my brother hadn’t come alone, I whipped my head back toward my friend and hissed, “You invited Liam?”
“Not exactly. I just told Nash to mention we were out in case Liam felt like joining.” She put her hand on my lap and gave my thigh a squeeze. “But can I just say one thing? He’d be at home with his kid if he wasn’t interested.”
“Maybe he was just interested in getting out of the house,” I grumbled.
“Keep telling yourself that.” She popped off her stool when the guys reached us and laced her arms around Nash’s neck pulling him in for a languorous kiss.
Slapping on a bright smile, I pivoted toward Liam, because syphoning in my drink while pretending he wasn’t standing there would be childish. “I thought you were laying low tonight.”
The noise level had increased and was now competing with the pulse drilling my eardrums. “That was the plan.”
“What changed it?”
“Your brother. He told me to stop acting like an old man, and then Lucas said he wanted to kick back with the little guy and nurse his battered heart.”
“His heart is battered?”
“He and his girl are . . . on the outs.”
“Shoot. I’m sorry.” I folded my legs, then bobbed my foot. The alcohol, which had hushed my nerves earlier, intensified them now.
Over Liam’s head, I caught Miles fording through the growing crowd. “I got you guys a table in the back. I’ll have your entrées transferred there.”
Nash leaned over the bar, extending a credit card. “I’ll just close off the tab.”
“Family’s on the house.” Miles flashed me a smile that soured my stomach.
Yeah. I was definitelynotgoing there. The half-second I’d been interested was due to my singlehood. Was that a thing? Singlehood? Or was it singleness? Singularity? Definitely not singularity.
